Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Diversity And Multiculturalism Action Plan (Dmap) Goal Progress, Tiffany B. White

Academic Leadership Academy

The DMAP is the strategic plan for the University as it relates to diversity and inclusion. It aligns with the University Strategic Plan Goal #4: Ensure a diverse, inclusive, and healthy community. WMU President Bailey charged Dr. Warfield, Vice President for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with leading a council to develop the DMAP. Over 75 WMU community members assisted in its development. It was adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2006. The DMAP defines terms such as diversity, multiculturalism, institutional bias, global, culture, and affirmative action so that our community has a shared language.

Cultural Capital, Agency, And Voice: Literacy Practices Of Middle School English Language Learners, Bogum Yoon

Middle Grades Review

Grounded in cultural capital and agency theory, this study examines two middle school English language learners’ (ELLs) participatory behaviors in literacy practices in the U.S. classroom. A closer examination of the ELLs’ participatory behaviors through their authentic voices is important to understand for their literacy development. The purpose of this article is to discuss the interconnection among ELLs’ agency, identity, and classroom dynamics for their language and literacy learning. The data sources include formal and informal interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts, including reading and writing projects. Findings suggest that, despite the students’ similar background of race, native language, age, gender, …

Sharing Authority And Agency: A Multilogue Response To Goldenberg’S “Youth Historians In Harlem,” Part 2 Of 2, Jack Dougherty

Education's Histories

Jack Dougherty (Trinity College) provides a multilogue response to Part 2 of Barry M. Goldenberg's Youth Historians in Harlem series.

Beating The Odds: Teaching Italian Online In The Community College Environment, Giulia Guarnieri

Publications and Research

This study analyzes data collected from Italian language online classes during the course of four consecutive semesters at Bronx Community College in order to measure the impact that distance learning has on students’ retention and success rates in elementary courses. The results reveal that reconfiguring the online meetings to a lower percentage and implementing social pedagogies reduce course abandonment and favor the creation of strong learning communities. Furthermore, the data relative to the grade distribution shows no substantial difference between online courses and face-to-face instruction.

Audacious Translation: On Being Haunted And Getting Lost On The Way To Translating Spivak. A Reflection On Spivak’S “Translating Into English”, Susan R. Adams

Susan Adams

In “Translating Into English” within An Aesthetic Education in the Era of Globalization (2012), Spivak eludes apprehension, spurns comprehension, and resists neat translation as I, an American educator, attempt to make sense of what is meant by an aesthetic education as Spivak translates the act of translation. Caught and othered as a language broker in learning the double bind of translation, I find no answers, only new questions as I grope toward ways to conceptualize and to name this moment for translators and language educators: (1) What does it mean to be a translator?; (2) Can and should the convenient …

The Joys And Sorrows Of Teaching High School Esl: Sarangarel's Story, Susan R. Adams

Susan Adams

Dr. Adams' contribution to: In M. Robbins (Ed.), The pressures of teaching: How teachers cope with classroom stress (pp. 87-98). New York: Kaplan Publishing.

The Importance Of Culture In Second And Foreign Language Learning, Sheeraz Ali, Bahram Kazemian, Israr Hussain Mahar

Bahram Kazemian

English has been designated as a source of intercultural communication among the people from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. A range of linguistic and cultural theories contribute meaningful insights on the development of competence in intercultural communication. The speculations suggest the use of communicative strategies focusing on the development of learners’ efficiency in communicating language through cultural context. However, the teaching of culture in communication has not been paid due importance in a number of academic and language settings of Pakistan and Iran. This assignment study indicates problems in view of teaching English as a medium of instruction in public …

The Impact Of A Cultural Immersion Study Abroad Experience In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shelley Flippen Conroy, Helen M.

Shelley Flippen Conroy

Study abroad programs have increased dramatically. Most programs are short-term and include a cultural immersion as well as classroom and/or service learning. In this article, the authors discuss a study abroad program to China that included cultural immersion and classroom learning specific to traditional Chinese medicine. Participants kept journals with specific writing assignments and reflections about their experiences during the trip. At the conclusion of the trip, a qualitative survey was administered to the participants. Outcomes included the benefits of cultural immersion and a greater appreciation of cultural diversity, complementary and alternative medicine and holistic health care. Participants were able …

Exploring Seventh Graders’ Perceptions Of The Picture-Word Inductive Model To Their English Narrative Writing In China, Xuan Jiang

South Florida Education Research Conference

In this exploratory study, the researcher interviewed 30 seventh graders in China about their perceptions of the newly tried method, Picture-word Inductive Model (PWIM), to their English narrative writing. Many student participants listed and exemplified positive influence of PWIM on their narrative writing in and from the PWIM trial.

A Historical Overview Of The Challenges For African Americans K12 Through College Education In America, Arthur C. Evans Iii

South Florida Education Research Conference

The early American education system developed around the segregation of White and African American students. These differences in learning environment have led to inferior education for African Americans and can be linked to challenges still facing minorities in the current American education system.

An Eye On Pinoy: Getting Connected, Cheryl E. Matias-Padua

Cheryl Matias

No abstract provided.

Youth Historians In Harlem: Exploring The Possibilities In Collaborative History Research Between Local Youth And Scholars, Barry M. Goldenberg

Education's Histories

During 2014-15 academic year, high school students and Barry M. Goldenberg work together to study the history of education in Harlem.

Perspectives On The College Readiness And Outcome Achievement Of Former Intensive English Language Program (Ielp) Students, Meghan Oswalt

Dissertations and Theses

Program evaluation (PE) is important for ESL programs but also difficult. As the scope of PE has grown, student voices have increasingly been included. Alumni provide unique perspectives, but Portland State University's (PSU) Intensive English Language Program (IELP) currently has no exit survey. Furthermore, little research uses alumni data, so this constructivist, mixed-methods study used data triangulation to compare the perceptions of former IELP students with those of three other stakeholder groups -- the topic: IELP student preparedness for PSU. Both online surveys and interviews were conducted, and participants included 63 former and 33 current IELP students, 27 IELP faculty …

Community Colleges And First-Generation Students: Academic Discourse In The Writing Classroom, Jan Osborn

English Faculty Books and Book Chapters

Community Colleges and First-Generation Students examines how first-generation students from diverse ethnic and linguistic backgrounds are initiated into what is known as academic discourse, particularly at the community college. Osborn systematically looks at specific classroom discourses through detailed evidence provided by the diversities represented by the students, and how the students negotiated their identities in terms of the ideological directionality in play.

The download link above only contains chapter 2 of Dr. Osborn's book, "Identities: A Context of Multiplicity".

Adding Technology To Your Language Course, Pilar Munday

Languages Faculty Publications

Invited presentation at Capital Community College in Hartford, CT.

No.4, September 2015: Incorporating Scaffolded Dialogic Reading Practice In Teacher Training: An Opportunity To Improve Instruction For Young Dual Language Learners In Transitional Kindergarten, Carola Matera Ph.D.

Education and Policy Briefs

Findings from a joint collaborative between the Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL) at Loyola Marymount University and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to provide professional development and coaching to Transitional Kindergarten (TK) teachers on the Scaffolded Dialogic Reading (SDR) are presented in this policy brief. SDR is a method to enhance language skills through dialogue and research-based scaffolds between teachers and small groups of children mediated through repeated readings of storybooks. The purpose of this brief is to: 1) state the opportunity to ensure Dual Language Learner (DLL) support within California’s TK policy; 2) provide a …

Collaboration, Pedagogy, And Media: Short-Term Summer Program Emphasizes Project Based And Social-Emotional Learning., William R. Bowden

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This article purports the idea that summer programs that experiment with media literacy and social-emotional learning could potentially affect students’ academic performance. Based on a six-week program, working with rising eighth grade students in a low-income school district, this program allowed students to work on media projects while trying to develop stronger capacities of self-awareness, positive decision-making, and stronger relationship development. The article intends to offer practitioners in media studies and pedagogy, insight of how to implement social and emotional learning into media classrooms.

Bridges For Academic Success: Opening Spaces For Culturally Responsive Practice In An Urban Pre-School, Denise Jones, Susan Browne

College of Education Faculty Scholarship

It has become widely understood that formal early childhood education can be an important factor in school success. Equally significant is the role of culture as a determinant in negotiating school. Thereby, the inclusion of student culture remains an important aspect in conversations on school success. This discourse is capable of promoting learning using the lives of students by building on what they already know, while offering opportunities for academic achievement. This study investigated how professional development workshops on culturally responsive practice for urban pre-school teachers encouraged the examination of current classroom practices and offered a process for transformation.

Arewa House Arabic Manuscript Conservation Laboratory, Michaelle L. Biddle

Michaelle Biddle

A brochure describing the services offered by the Arewa House (Ahmadu Bello University, Kaduna) Arabic Manuscript Conservation Laboratory

American Council On The Teaching Of Foreign Languages-Heritage Language Sig Newsletter, Theresa Y. Austin, Yvonne Farino, Joy Payton

Theresa Y. Austin

An Official Newsletter of ACTFL - August 2015

Performing Critical Consciousness In Teaching: Entanglements Of Knowing, Feeling And Relating, Kathleen A. Mcdonough

Doctoral Dissertations

At a time when education reform is guided by neoliberalism, accountability and standardization have reshaped teaching as highly technocratic and threatened the democratic possibilities of public education. Even so, many teacher education programs have taken up the call to prepare teachers to teach for social justice, whether framed as multicultural education, critical literacy, or critical pedagogy. A construct that ties these pedagogical approaches together is critical consciousness, with the aim of some teacher education efforts to evoke critical consciousness among preservice teachers. This study focuses on exploring how nine educators from elementary grades to higher education experience and enact critical …

Reading Queerly In The High School Classroom: Exploring A Gay And Lesbian Literature Course, Kirsten Helmer

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to explore how teaching an English literature curriculum centered on the stories, experiences, cultures, histories, and politics of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex) people constitutes a meaningful site for teaching and learning in a high school classroom. The dissertation offers insights on how the teaching of LGBTQI-themed texts in English language arts classes can be reframed by bridging the goals, practices and conceptual tools of queer theory to critical literacies teaching. The project follows principles of critical qualitative research and employs an ethnographic case study approach with the purpose of transforming educational …

Using Systemic Functional Linguistics To Inform A Language Pedagogy In A Middle School English Classroom A Case Study, Holly I. Graham

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative case study analyzes how a middle school teacher used the tools of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) and genre based pedagogy (GBP) to support linguistically and culturally diverse students in analyzing informational texts critically in the context of curricular and school reforms in the United States. Using a combination of ethnographic case study methods (Dyson, 1993; Davies, 1999; Merriam, 2005; Dyson & Genishi, 2005) and critical discourse analysis (Eggins, 1999; Fairclough, 1995) the teacher collected an extensive corpus of diverse data over a school year. Focused data collection consistent with case study methods included instructional materials, paper and electronic …

'Grounding' Walter Rodney In Critical Pedagogy: Toward Praxis In African History, Seneca Vaught

South

This essay attempts to address the dilemma of theory and praxis, what Freire referred to as “mere verbalism,” by examining one historical instance of critical pedagogy in history education. This essay argues that Walter Rodney’s curriculum, as detailed in his syllabi on “Historians and Revolutions” and "Groundings," helps educators better understand how to more effectively bridge the gap between a critical pedagogical theory and praxis in African history. Using Rodney as an example of a critical pedagogy theorist and practitioner, this essay explores how concerned historians (and those who use history as a basis for teaching) can traverse traditional disciplinary …

Publication Description & Guidelines For Submission

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Notes On Contributors

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Vygotsky And Education: Connecting Theory And Practice In Linguistically Diverse Classrooms, Bobbie Kabuto

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Book Review: Bi-Multilingual Language Knowledge As An Element Of Funds Of Knowledge, Patricia Velasco

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

No abstract provided.

Two Activities For Multlingual Students: Learning In Monolingual Classrooms, David Schwarzer, Christian Acosta

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

The purpose of this article is to re-conceptualize the role of the monolingual teacher in mainstream K-12 classrooms in the United States who work with students who are mostly multilingual and transnational. The proposed role for monolingual teachers is to incorporate at least some of the resources available in students’ native languages, even if they do not have a working knowledge of those languages. To illustrate how this can be achieved the authors showcase two practical activities that can be used in mainstream classrooms to spark discussions about multilingualism and multilingual literacy. The activities are designed to promote the maintenance …

New York State Education Department Policies, Mandates And Initiatives On The Education Of English Language Learners, Angela Carrasquillo, Diane Rodríguez, Laura Kaplan

Journal of Multilingual Education Research

This article is a summary of a longer report, completed under the direction of the Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society and the doctoral program in Urban Education at the Graduate Center in the City University of New York (CUNY) with funding provided by the New York State Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals (NYSIEB). It describes educational laws, policies, mandates, and initiatives regarding the education of English language learners, which took shape and reverberated in the New York State Education Department. This historical descriptive research focused on the historical period from 1965 to the year 2013. The …